Captain’s previous owner taught him to wait at the mounting block until he received a treat. My trainer, Jen, disagrees with this practice. However, I absolutely love it. Captain stands patiently while I climb onto the saddle, hook up my air vest and adjust my stirrups. I slip him a treat (when Jen isn’t looking). Captain is so well trained that he will not step forward until he’s finished his treat.
I’m impressed with people that can train horses – especially training horses to act. In HBO’s Game of Thrones series (yes, it’s the theme for the next two blogs!), no less than 80 horses were involved in productions. They were all trained by The Devil's Horsemen.
This Royal Horse website includes fun facts like these about making the horse, a Star.
A spectacular horse fall is completely “fakable” (In Game of Thrones – horses landed on a mattress)
On the set, horse behavior mimics your horses’ day job – remaining calm, patient and obedient
When a scene requires an actor to perform beyond their equestrian level, a mounted stuntman takes over
Iberian horses have star quality – generous, courageous, proud, comfortable with attention
Athletic training of movie horses begins with dressage and physical preparation
Stunt horses reach maturity between 6 and 8 years old
Out of 100 horses in training, a mere 5 will make it to the screen
Training may have its drawbacks.
This morning, leaves were blowing into the indoor arena. The horses acted as if they were blood red demons. Jen suggested we dismount while she closed the electronic door. When the door closed the demons lay scattered but were no longer life-like.
Everyone mounted up again and began to trot. Captain and I were stuck at the mounting block. I’d forgotten to bring an extra treat. He was trained to wait and wait and wait.
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